I shrugged, trying to ignore the tension building in the room. I had been angry for so long, I didn’t know what I was upset over anymore. I tried to go back in my mind to what started the break between my brother and me…losing Melanie. But I didn’t feel that pain anymore, and I struggled to find a reason to hold a grudge against him. He didn’t kill her. He was no more responsible for her death than I was. It all seemed so childish now.

“I know it probably feels like my words don’t mean anything,” Alexander continued when I didn’t respond, “but you have no idea how much losing Melanie hurt all of us. I know how much you loved her, Ty. I thought I had lost my one true love and the pain was excruciating.” He looked at Olivia, their eyes meeting. “I’m lucky enough that I didn’t lose her.” Standing up, he took carefully measured steps toward me and sat down. “But something tells me this isn’t all about Melanie…not anymore.”

I shook my head. “I loved Melanie, but that feeling is nothing compared to what I–”

“Then you need to go to her,” Olivia interrupted, standing up. Her heels clicked on the hardwood floor as she walked toward us, Alexander’s eyes wide. “Apologize for not going sooner, for having a bit of an overbearing ass for a brother, and for using her and keeping secrets from her in the first place. Trust me. I know exactly what’s going through that poor girl’s mind right now. She’s probably questioning everything in her life, wondering whom she can trust, wondering what’s real and what’s not. There are few things worth fighting for these days, but I can guarantee you that love is one of them.” She sat down next to Alexander and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. “And it’s a damn good thing your brother fought for me.”

“Olivia,” Alexander said, his tone somewhat harsh, “it’s not that easy. This woman was an asset, and our agency contact went missing. I didn’t know which way was up, so we had to do something to protect everyone involved.”

My eyes glued to Alexander, my heart raced in my chest. “What did you do?” I whispered.

He studied me for several long moments before finally speaking. “We gaslighted her.”

“What the hell does that even mean?” Mom interjected.

“It means we made her question her reality, made her question whether she had really met Tyler or not. We removed any and all traces of him from her life, even had a few of my agents move into his old house in the off chance she went over there. They were told to use any means necessary to convince her there never was a Tyler Burnham who lived there.”

An understanding look crossed my mom’s face, as if she had just received the missing piece of a puzzle. “Spies,” she mumbled under her breath.

“Why would you do something like that?” Olivia demanded, her temper rising.

“So she would think she never met him. His cover had been compromised, so we had to do something. Gaslighting is one of the most effective manipulation techniques there is to make the target or asset think what we want them to think…that they never met someone, in this case, Tyler. It’s a way to protect his blown cover, which can have drastic consequences to both parties, especially in this case.”

“This is absurd!” She raised herself from the couch and glowered at Alexander. “Do you really think she’d believe she never met him? For crying out loud, just let him go to her, regardless that you attempted to ‘gaslight’ her!” she sneered. “He needs closure! I’m sure Mackenzie does, too! Then you can all move on with your lives. He can stop moping around, you can stop trying to keep him away from home so he doesn’t go see her, and things can go back to normal…or as normal as they can be in this family.” She plopped back onto the couch and crossed her arms in front of her chest, annoyed.

Silence rang in the living room as we all absorbed Olivia’s words. My mom was right. She was the only person who could ever break through my brother’s thick skull and make him be the compassionate person we all knew was hiding beneath the layers of his tough exterior.

“Ty,” Alexander finally said, clearing his throat. “I hate to admit it, but maybe Olivia’s right.” He met my eyes and I knew it must have taken a lot for him to accept that. “If I were in your shoes and someone tried to keep me from the woman I loved, I’d be pissed.” Sighing, he ran his hand through his dark hair. “I’m sorry. About everything. About getting you into this mess, then trying to decide what’s best for you without asking what you wanted. I’ve been a shitty brother. I should be supporting you instead of trying to keep you down. If you love her like you say you do, I’m happy for you. If you want to be with her, I’m not going to fight you, but you need to be careful. I’ve spent months trying to track down our agency contact to see if there was some sort of trail and I’ve come up empty. I can’t help but think there’s something suspicious going on and that his disappearance has everything to do with this case. The timing is too perfect.”

“Have you looked into his family?” I asked.

“Of course,” he responded. “He had none. Parents dead. Never married. No children. Hell, I can’t even access any of the missions he was a part of. This all makes me believe he had more than just top-level security clearance. So please, promise me you’ll think with your head and be extra cautious.”

“I will. Promise.” I gave him a quick reassuring look before jumping off the couch and bolting from the room.

“Tyler, baby,” my mother called out. “Where are you going?”

Beaming, I glanced over my shoulder. “I have to go see about a girl.”

I ran toward the staircase, dashing up to the second floor and down the long hallway to pack up my stuff as quickly as possible. As I approached my room, the door opposite mine opened, startling me. I halted in my tracks, my jaw dropping as I stared at the woman standing in the doorway.

Mackenzie

I CHECKED MY REFLECTION in the mirror, my formerly loose-fitting yellow sundress now rather snug. I took a closer look, my eyes vibrant for a change. I felt refreshed and rejuvenated after finally getting some much-needed sleep. Escaping South Padre for a little bit was exactly what I needed to help me cope with what had become my new normal.

Pulling open the guest room door to head downstairs, a rush of a familiar scent found its way to my nose, stirring up memories of that happy, yet heartbreaking time in my life. I raised my head, inhaling quickly when I was met with a pair of striking green eyes.

I whimpered, almost in disbelief. Over the past several months, I had seen him everywhere. I had heard his voice in my dreams, saw his face on every man, smelled his musky scent no matter where I was. I was convinced this was just a dream, too.

“Mackenzie…,” Tyler said, surprised, his tone guttural and raspy.

“Is this real?” I felt numb, like I was daydreaming… But this was one daydream I didn’t want to wake up from. Closing my eyes, a warmth approached and a finger brushed away the lone tear trickling down my face. A current flowed through me, sparking a sensation that had been absent for the past several months. It was intense, burning, piercing. I fought to contain the thrill I felt from this man’s simple touch.

“What are…? How…?” he stammered, and I returned my eyes to his. He glanced at my stomach and I cringed, imagining his bewilderment. “Is it…?”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be here.” I spun around and dashed toward the bed, frantically throwing my things into my bag. “I get it. It’s my fault. I was stupid and–”